The Paisley Pattern will be the star of the show during a cross-cultural fashion extravaganza featuring students from India and their Scottish counterparts.

The show in Paisley Abbey tonight (FRIDAY) will mark a spectacular finale to a knowledge and skills exchange scheme based around textiles and design.

A delegation from Glasgow Kelvin College travelled to Andhra Pradesh in India earlier this month and a group from the Government Polytechnic for Women in the city of Guntur jetted over this week for the return leg.

The fashion show was hosted by Renfrewshire Council as the town’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 gathers pace, and saw students from the college show off their talents in disciplines including music, production, dance, hair & beauty and fashion.

While in India, the Scottish group worked with their local counterparts to incorporate the globally-recognised Paisley Pattern into their designs, to be paraded on the catwalk in the Abbey.

The group – including Paisley Museum master weaver Dan Coughlan – was the subject of massive interest from the Indian media, with their arrival featuring in the English-language The Hindu, read by more than two million people each day.

Councillor Mark Macmillan, chair of the Paisley 2021 Partnership Board, said: “We are delighted to welcome our Indian guests and our colleagues from the college to Paisley for this spectacular show.

“The legacy of Paisley’s one-time place at the centre of the global textile industry includes a brand which carried the town’s name around the world.

“That unique history includes links to India in the form of the original Kashmiri shawls which the Paisley versions descended from, and this project allows us to continue those links into a new century.

“The town’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021 is all about the retelling Paisley’s unique story and events like this help us do that.”

The college’s trip to India came about via the UK-India Education and Research Initiative (UKIERI).

Alan Sherry, Glasgow Kelvin College Principal, said: “This exciting event is the culmination of many hours of hard work for our students and Indian colleagues.

“The dynamic UKIERI-AICTE programme is providing excellent opportunities for skills and knowledge exchange between our Indian and Scottish partners.

“The visit has been a great chance for our students to experience, first hand, the creativity and talents of learners at the Government Polytechnic for Women, learning new techniques in textile design.

“They have been able to immerse themselves in India’s very diverse culture and bring back relevant skills and ideas to enhance their own learning.

“We are very grateful for the valued input of our partners and I would like to thank everyone involved in creating our Paisley Pattern themed fashion extravaganza.”

For more information of Paisley’s bid for UK City of Culture 2021, visit www.paisley2021.com.